Judges 3-5

The Isrealites lived among the tribes that occupied the Promised Land..

Notice that we read about the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites?  They were all tribes in Canaan.  Where did Canaan come from?  Go back to Genesis 9 and you see that Noah curses Canaan.   Noah had gotten drunk and passed out naked on wine.  Ham mocked him; therefore Noah cursed Canaan the son of Ham.  The Isrealites got weak in faith because they tried to be accepting of their spouses gods....before you know it, sin sneaks in.  The Isrealites probably didn't even mean for it to happen.  (Isn't sin like that?)  The people pleaded for help and God sent Othniel (remember him-Caleb's younger brother) and the Spirit of the Lord was on him and he gave Isreal peace for 40 years.  The cycle of sin and deliverance continues.

Ehud uses his perceived weakness (being left handed), to stab unexpectedly with his left hand.... Dang, the king of Moab just must have been fatter than I can imagine....to lose the knife, along with the handle and everything in his mounds of fat!!  Nasty, yet effective.  Ehud means "deliverer". 

The Moabites and the Ammonites were descendents of Lot (Bonnie, remember the unfortunate reading where Lot's daughters use Daddy and wine to continue the family line?)  The Amalekites were descendents of Esau (a cranky, warring mule of a man)

Shamgar delivers Isreal with a tool used to lead oxen...

And then our Deborah comes onto the scene.   A woman leader....she tries to give Barak (name remind you of anyone?) credit, but he needs her with him.  Jael, another fabulous women, lures Sisera the army commander to her tent....no one would ever look for a man in a women's tent....and then she uses her tent pitching skills and hammers a stake right through Sisera's head.  Sorry Barak, if you leave it to the women, it will be done right...ha!

And then it turns into a musical and Deborah and Barak break into song.  Actually, music and singing were a great way to pass the heritage down the generations (since no one could read!)  We do see in the song that four tribes didn't help in battle (Rueben, Gilead, Dan and Asher)...but no reasons are given.

Note that the judges are foreshadowing the ultimate deliverer, Jesus Christ.  

Judges 1 and 2

You see a little overlap from Joshua in the first part of Judges.  You get to review Caleb's daughter marrying Othniel again.  Isreal fights the remaining Canaanites, and the tribe of Judah leads out.  Note all the tribes that did not completely conquer their land.   God had told them to completely destroy the occupants of the land so that they would not be tempted by foreign idols/gods.  

Joshua 23:12
But if you turn away and ally youselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them, they you may be sure that the LORD your God will no  longer drive out these nations before you.  Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the Lord your God has given you."
OK-don't you think God is being pretty specific here?

Easy for me to say since I have the Bible to see how this is all going to turn out.   Have I ever ignored God's direction?  Call me CONVICTED....I surely am glad that God can use flawed people.

I just wonder how a whole generation can NOT know the Lord?  This shows what a huge thing it is to teach your children and your spiritual children if you don't have children.  We all have a responsibility to make sure people that come into contact with us, know God.  Thank God for the Holy Spirit that helps us....the Canaanite religious system looked like it was a whole lot more fun...it was probably easier and if you have a tendency to sin, here was some serious temptation.  This ticked the Lord off, as you can imagine, and He sends an angel to tell the people that God was no longer going to drive out the enemies of the people......a test for the people of Isreal to see if they would keep the Lord's commands.

Overview of Judges

So what do you think of when you hear the word "judge"?   Arbitration perhaps?   Sentencing?   See if you still agree with that definition when we finish the reading of this book.

After the death of Joshua, Isreal lacks strong leadership.  Isreal will go into a decline because of the choices they make.  God will raise up individuals when Isreal repents...there will be six periods in this particular book in which Isreal declines and is rescued.

How the Isrealites are governed will change...you had strong spiritual leaders; now the judges will be between the strong spiritual leaders and a monarchy.  Have you noticed how all the pagan lands had kings? This book will span 325 years.    The setting of this book is Canaan...the Promised Land....it will later be called Isreal.

The author of this book is not certain....possibly scholars think it is Samuel.

A little Joshua Quiz

Just a little quiz to see what sunk in and what didn't.....Sometimes when I am busy and have to read too fast some of it doesn't sink in so I must go back......I just like this as a tool because when you have to slow down and think, sometimes it gets in the brain a little better....at least it does for me.....

1.  What was so important about the Jordan river in this book of Joshua?


2.  Can God use prostitutes?


3.  Who was  Achan and what was his sin?


4.  What moved from Gilgal to Shiloh?


5.  What was the big deal with the sun?


6.  How many kings and their cities where conquered?


7.  Why did Joshua get an allotment of land along with the tribes of Isreal?

8.  What did Joshua do in Shechem before he died?

9.  How old was Joshua when he died?

Joshua 22-24

Time passes.....Isreal has been triumphant and finally the Transjordan tribes can go home.  They build an altar which makes the whole assembly very nervous because they think it might be for the Transjordan's honor instead of the Lords....the good news is that they checked it out and found that the Transjordan tribes intentions were good and that it was for the honor of God.  They wanted to be included as God's and not have anyone think that the Jordan river separated them.  They named the altar, "A Witness Between Us that the Lord is God"...

Again, a long time passes as indicated in 23:1 and it is time for Joshua to die.  He reminds the people that they always have a CHOICE, and that there are consequences for the choice.  The covenant is between the people and God, not other gods.  Joshua reminds the people of the Jewish Salvation Story...the ultimate deliverance, and in Shechem, drew up the decrees and laws.  One key verse is:  "But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served byond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.   But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."   Joshua is a book about choice.     We can read this book of the Bible and be well versed in it; but it will mean nothing unless we apply it.   What are our idols....we may not have graven images, but anything that we put before the Lord is an idol.......

Joshua and Eleazar (the High Priest) die and are buried in the Promised Land.

Joshua 19-21

If you get a chance, go back to Jacob's blessing to his sons in Genesis 49.....it is pretty cool to see the prophecy coming into play.....

We read about Simeon's allotment in our reading today of Joshua 19.   Simeon's allotment is described by cities rather than borders, because Simeon's allotment is from Judah's portion...note that in Genesis 45: 5, it says "Simeon and Levi are brothers-their swords are weapons of violence.  Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.  Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury so cruel!  I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Isreal."......remember Dinah, the only daughter that was captured and raped by the Schechemites (Genesis 34) and the Simeon and Levi tricked and killed them?  Simeon is indeed scattered.

Eleazar, Joshua and the heads of the clans are at the Tent of the Meeting in Shiloh casting lots; the holy lottery is what it is according to my study bible.   This ensures that no man makes the decision, but the Lord does...and it just so happens to coincide with the prophecy of Jacob.  Coincidence?   I don't think so.

Cities of Refuge are assigned....keep in mind that God is teaching a new system of justice.  Revenge was the driving force of this culture...now, they are begining to work on justice and the priest judges the crime......we'll move into judges in two days.  Can you believe that tomorrow we finish Joshua?

And our reading concludes with, "Not one of all the Lord's good promises to the house of Isreal (remember that Jacob was renamed this)  failed; everyone was fulfilled."  The Lord does what he says He is going to do, Amen!!

Joshua 16-18

...the tribes continue to receive their inheritance.....remember that Joseph doesn't get land, but he as Rachel's oldest gets a double portion. If you recall, Joshua blessed Joseph's two Egyptian children at the same level as his son's....grandchildren got son's blessings.  You may remember Zelphehad's daughters...there were no sons, but Moses granted the daughters his inheritance so that his name would not be forgotten......pretty big deal in a patriarchial society......

We are also going to have problems with people that are not driven out completely as God commanded.  Keep that in mind going forward.  The Manassites were afraid to drive out inhabitants and take full possession of the land.  Instead, they begged for more land and Joshua asked them to prove their sincerity by first clearing out the unclaimed forest areas.

Joshua will cast lots for the rest of the land, and strangely, it turns out just as God wanted (imagine that, huh?)

The religous center (location of the Tent of the Meeting) moves from Gilgal to Shiloh...it is more centrally located this way, among the tribes....and did you catch that Benjamin's allotment contains Jerusalem?

Joshua12-15

I like Patricia's post today, so I am going to borrow hers for our edification....the only thing I would add is did you notice that in 13: 22, our buddy Balaam who had the talking donkey, was finally "taken out" for practicing divination?  Also, note Othniel from Chapter 15, who will be one of the first Judges (our next chapter) and yes Bonnie, I'm afraid that Caleb's daughter marries Caleb's brother.....

So here's Patricia's post:

Click here for reading

I know, not a fascinating read, but there were a few parts that caught my eye.
Thirty One Kings are defeated.  Almost the whole land was conquered.  Almost.  Ummm, this might be a problem from what we learned of yesterday’s read. But the Israelites did not drive out the people of Geshur and Maacah, so they continue to live among the Israelites to this day.  (13:13)
So if you actually go all the way back to Genesis 49, the land is being distributed exactly as said during Jacob’s blessings.  In Genesis,  it talked about the Levites being scattered (they get 48 scattered cities), and 6 cities of refuge.  Reuben’s tribe gets land that is Desert, because he slept with his father’s concubine (see we always have to deal with sin eventually).  Ephraim and Manessah’s tribes, from the line of Joseph get excellent land, for their loyalty.  And Judah, who offered his life in exchange for Benjamin’s when Joseph was in Egypt, they receive the largest portion of land.
Caleb, the only other man who had Faith besides Joshua, when  the 12 spies when in to survey the land was remembered by the men.  Back in Kadesh Barnea 45 years ago it was said:

But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. ^{(Nu 14,24)}

Here is a map to help.  Locate the Dead sea and the Sea of Galilee. The Jordan River connects the 2.  The right side is the Transjordan Tribes we have talked about.  Also note right above the Dead sea is familiar names, Shittim, Jericho, Gilgal, Mitzpah.  If you keep notes or a file, let me know I can e-mail you the map.

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Joshua 9-11

Joshua and the armies begin to conquer the Promised Land-specifically the tribes that the Lord mentioned.   Joshua did really well in most cases; but one time he did not seek the Lord first and ended up in a peace treaty with the Gibeonites.....(what would you do if some travel weary, poor people were seeking refuge...doesn't the Lord tell us to be kind to our neighbors?)   But, the  Gibeonites were tricky little devils because they knew that Israelites would  honor their covenant.   The Lord would have told Joshua about the deception if he had asked....there's a lesson here......I am so guilty of not always asking and thinking it seems like such an easy decision.

The Lord is might and makes the sun stand still....I loved verse 14 that says, "There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a man."    Joshua asked and the Lord LITERALLY delivered....

Notice that Joshua hangs Kings on a tree.....do you remember where you read, "cursed is the man that hangs on a tree?"

And finally at the end of Chapter 11, "Then the land had rest from war"......

Joshua 5-8

Circumcision at Gilgal

Remember when Abraham received the command to circumcize the men?   This was to set the Israelites apart as God's covenant people.   This generation had been wandering the desert for 40 years and didn't do the circumcision.  The Lord told Joshua that it was time for this generation to do it (set themselves apart).  They celebrated the Passover for the third time in history....the manna stopped because it was no longer needed.  The people were able to eat food from the Promised Land!

Now, check this out....an angel is the commander of the Lord's army!!  Verse 14 cross references Genesis 18:2 when angels appeared to Abraham.  How can you lose with an angel leading your army, huh?  The people knew that God had already delivered Jericho into Israel's hands...there is some confidence building.  Now we are getting into the stories from my Sunday School!    If the Lord told you to do something you thought was stupid, would you do it anyway?    Can you imagine how the people might have felt silently marching around fortified city walls.....and then being told to yell on the 7th day and blow trumpets....would you do it in faith?

PS  remember the warning about rebuilding the walls of Jericho, cuz sure enough...some fool will try!!!

The Lord warns the people that the spoils of Ai are for the Lord's treasury (to build the temple) and not to take any or they could subject Israel to destruction......seems like there has to be one in every bunch and Archan keeps some treasures and clothing.  Ai is not defeated.....remember that the Lord always warns what will happen so you have a choice to obey or not....Archan pays the ultimate consequence and is stoned along with his family (purge all evil from among you).....so how would you like to live in a culture where your family is responsible for your actions and vice versa?

Joshua1-4

The Israelites are camped at Shittim and they are read to enter and conquer Canaan....before they move out, Joshua gets instructions from the Lord. (If you haven't looked at the Word Frequency diagram of Joshua...check it out...the bigger the word, the more freqently it is used.....LORD is the biggest!).

The Lord tells them that He will never leave them or forsake them and three times He tells them to be strong and courageous.  When He repeats something, he wants them/us to take notice.

Joshua secretly sent two spies from Shittim (perhaps  he didn't want to cuase people to question his wisdom after the last disasterous attempt of spying.....Joshua needed strategic information before conquering) and the spies met Rahab...this woman is a prostitute/inn keeper with a hope in the city wall.....strategic to seeing the comings and goings of the city.    Rahab is one of four women that has a geneology to JESUS........see, by faith, Jesus can use anyone.  Rahab is remembered for her faith, not her profession...she is one of two women mentioned in the Hebrews Hall of Faith (Hebrews happens to be my favorite book of the Bible) Rahab rescuses the spies from potential attack by hiding them and sneaking them out with a red rope from the city wall....this time the spy event is successful and Joshua knows they can move.

The priests led the troops by carrying the Ark of the Covenant..the come up to the edge of the River Jordan which is in flood stage....the extremely cool thing here is that BY FAITH the priests toes touched the Jordan (can you imagine approaching this and thinking...OK God.....now what.....you want me to keep moving???) and as soon as they touched their toes to the Jordan, the Lord "piled up" the water so they could cross the Jordan on dry land.   Our Lord loves the water, doesn't He?

The Lord instructs that a member of each tribe should retrieve a stone from the Jordan and make a memorial so that future generations could be taught about this......If anyone asked, What do these stones  mean? they were to reply, "The Lord your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he died it up before us until we had crossed over.  He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God....

Now there is some testimony...absolute witness of the miracle of God's power.

Overview of Joshua

....and Moses' Personal Assistant steps up......the Lord has approved him to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land.   We know that Joshua is a brilliant military leader, so he'll be skilled at conquering the land the Lord has given to the Israelites.

The book of Joshua is divided into two main parts...it is 24 chapters.  The first half deals with the Promised Land and the second half deals with the dividing of the conquered land.  Joshua is a book of History, rather than a book of Law.  Moses was the father of the Law. Now we move into the 12 books of History.

Joshua means "salvation" in Hebrew.  The Old Testament is written in Hebrew.   Joshua means "Jesus" in Greek, which means "Lord is Salvation"...the New  Testament is in Greek.

Joshua is 85 years old when he accepts his charge!  What 85 year olds do you know that are great warriors?  Yikes....

Deuteronomy 32-34, Psalm 91

And we have reached the end of Deuteronomy....the Torah, the Pentatuch.  Moses is thought to be one of the greatest prophets ever as stated in 34: 10-12. He is the only prophet that the Lord knew face to face.  The Lord buried Moses Himself. (34:6)  Scholars speculate that it is because the Lord knew the way the people loved idols, and God didn't want the Israelites to worship Moses' bones.  The cross reference to Jude 1:9 is pretty cool, because it shows that Michael the Archangel disputes the devil about the body of Moses!  Moses was 120 years old when he died.....40 years in Egypt....remember how long ago we read about that baby in the basket floating down the Nile....40 years in preparation until the Lord called him to deliver His people...and of course the 40 years Moses spent in the wilderness.  Remember that when God repeats something, we are to take notice and this 40 year period is repeated.    Interesting that we are in Lent right now....a 40 day period of reflection....the spirit of the Lord moves onto Joshua.....

Deuteronomy 30-31

and yet again......blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience and it is all about life and death....and the Lord wants you to pick LIFE......
Moses is preparing for the change in leadership to Joshua.....he repeats..."Do not be afraid......God wil never leave you nor forsake you"......
Then God predicts Israel's rebellion......he gives the people freewill, but at the same time he KNOWS what the people will pick....can you even get your head around that concept???  Then the Lord gives him a song for history..it is a witness for God against them.....God knows that his chosen people will worship idols and this song will testify against them......the word of God was spread differently then...there was no Bible...so the law was read or sung to them...they had to memorize a lot more...then there was no excuse for not being exposed to the law.  We'll read the words of the song tomorrow....

The Devil doesn't want me to post this scripture

But I'll show you, Mr. Devil....I will not copy and paste, I will type it myself....

So ANYWAY.....Paul the apostle struggled with the same thing in Romans 7: 15-25

I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.  And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.  As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.  I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.  For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this  I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.  So I find this law at work:  When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.  For in my -inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the member of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.  What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord.

We simply cannot obey the Law on our own and this is the whole basis of what God was teaching in the Old Testament.  The penalty of sin is death.....thank God for Jesus Christ who died for our sins....he sacrificed while we were still sinners!!!!!!!

Don't know where the rest of my post went?????

Deuteronomy 28-29

Blessings for Obedience, Curses for Disobedience.....again, God is telling the Isrealites about consequences...but it is all about THEIR CHOICE.  This is very much a two way street....what do you think Isreal will chose?

Moses then moves into his third address in Chapter 29.....I mark the word "covenant" every time I see it in my bible.  I use a red colored pencil and just make a big rectangle, and then underline it in yellow......this comes from the Precept method of Inductive Bible study which I will enlighten you on some day.

Note that Moses is talking about the covenant with the Isrealites in addition ddto the covenant he made with them at Horeb (Sinai).  Moses is restating the covenant to warn the people that if they did not keep their part of the agreement, they would experience severe discipline.  He reminded them that God did what He said He was going to do....do you realize that all the commandments can be summed up with the first two?   Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself.   With those simple things, all the others roll up into it.

I love verse 29....The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law....to me, this means God has a plan...we are part of that plan, but there are some things He simply isn't going to share with us, or we are not going to comprehend.....what He has revealed to us He wants us to take notice of....we then need to make our choice on it and be responsible for the consequences.   God isn't trying to be mean by restricting us...He really is trying to give us freedom if we surrender to Him and live His way......why do we chose to go our own way?  Do we think we know better than God?  In this context, it makes me feel like I am a willful child....then I realize that I am not alone in this, because those much greater than I am have struggled with sin.....

Romans 7: 14-25  (bear with me, this is so COOL)

Deuteronomy 24-27

It may sound like Moses is condoning divorce, but he really isn't.....it is recognizing a practice already in existence.....this was intended to prevent casual remarriage after a "frivolous" separation......all of these decrees were intended to help interpret the original ten commandments....they are generally referred to as "decrees and ordinances".

In 24: 19-21...we learn about second harvesting or "gleaning" so that those without food could have some. This will be seen again in the book of Ruth when we get there.  You'll also see what is called a "levirate" marriage which is a widow to the brother of her dead husband....this is what Tamar fought for in Genesis 38...this is so the husband's name is not forgotten through children which was a huge part of Isrealite culture.

Now, for dearest Bonnie, I must admit I was intrigued about why the heck 25: 11 states, "If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand.  Show her no pity"......why would this random yet specific instruction be here? It must be important if it is there.  Surely, there is a reason...and I got this study note from the NSRV...Another man's wife must not intervene in a fight, especially by seizing the genitals, which is evidently understood as an attempt to permanently damage the man's procreative capacities and perhaps bar him from the assembly of the Lord (see 23:1)....so apparently, catfights have gone on since the dawn of man, and are quite ugly no matter how you look at it.....

You'll see in  Isaiah, that eunech (a castrated male....in Esther, a eunech is over the king's harem....can you figure out why this may be?) can't be in the assembly of God, along with foreigners (gentiles, non-jews)....but then, just wait, Jesus comes and the gospel is for everyone since the Jews rejected him.......all these things come together.....

And finally consequences of obedience and disobedience are reinforced with a liturgical  response.....a declaration and a response from the assembly.....later, the Psalms will be acted out in this way at worship.

Deuteronomy 21-23

....and Moses gives more laws for human relationships......there was so much stoning going on and "purging evil from among you".....keep in mind that God is teaching about sin.  God hates sin.  The penalty for sin is DEATH.

I thought fondly of Bonnie as I read Chapter 22......it is sincerely a privilege to have her read the Bible for the first time.   We discussed on Wednesday night how appalled she was with Noah being drunk and his daughters sleeping with him, and homosexuality in Gomorrah....well, here's a little cross dressing to throw in for you Bonnie (verse 5)......seems like some of our "abominations" go back to the beginning!

These chapters are the basis for things you will read in later readings.....if we decide to read the Bible again next year, these chapters will be so much more meaningful, because you will see how they are the root of so much.

Chapter 23 is all about "exclusion from the assembly"....this means worship......all the basis for "clean" and "unclean" means your preparation for worship.    You must be "clean" and free from sin to worship God...the whole basis of the Old Testament is God teaching the people about sin....they can't "not sin"  and what is the penalty for sin?   DEATH........thank God for Jesus our Savior...think of what "Savior" means in this contest......saved from the penalty of sin which is DEATH........  this is BIG.....

Deuteronomy 17-20

Happy St. Patrick's day...are you wearing green?

Remember that Deuteronomy means "second law" and Moses is preparing the new generation for entrance into the Holy Land.   Moses repeatedly talks about "purging the evil" from among you.    The Isrealites aren't to have evil around them, because even the smallest bit has a chance to grow and corrupt them.     Perhaps we are getting the start of the "Holy Wars".....In God they are justified....but they must be FROM GOD.....God specifically names tribes that he knows their hearts....he knows they are not going to give up their evil ways and idols...this is why they are getting purged with His permission from the Promised Land.   We have Holy Wars (so to speak) now......think of the Islamic extremists....they say they are warring "in the name of the Lord"?  Do we ever do this?  How do we know if those messages are from God?  Deuteronomy 18:21-22 tells us....if what a prophet proclaims in the name ofthe Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously.."  So from the early days to today people claim to have messages from God.  God still speaks to his people, so we must be cautious before saying that someone is God's spokesman.

Moses prepares them for a king and what characteristics a king should have.  Note that in 17: 16-17, he gives 4 characteristics of what a king should not do, and in 17: 18, it tells what he should not do......Jesus is the only King that meets all these characteristics......the Isrealites wanted a king like the other nations had.....God is truly the only King, but He gives them what they want, as you will see in future readings.

Chapter 18 talks about a prophet...who is this prophet?   Stephen used this verse to support his claim that Jesus Christ is God's Son, the Messiah (Acts 7:37)......My study Bible points out that the coming of Jesus Christ to earth was not an afterthought but part of God's original plan.

Finally, in chapter 20, Moses gives instructions about the war the Isrealites must prepare for to gain entrance into the Holy Land......after all 3 "purge the evil" from among you messages we have read (17: 7, 17: 12, 19: 19) we move to 20: 16:

However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes.   Completely destroy them-the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites-as the Lord your God has commanded you.  Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the Lord.

When the Lord repeats things, we are to take notice.  It is important.  It is worth underlining in your Bible!!!!  And it would be great if we didn't leave it in our Bible and we applied it....(whew, I am exhausted......LOL)

Deuteronomy 14-16

Chapter 14 is about clean and unclean foods.....we no longer have this law apply to us as you see in the vision Peter had from the Lord in Acts 10: 9-48...pretty cool to see how the new covenant changes things......thank God for Jesus, huh?

Chapter 15 is about canceling debts...we are to respond to people's needs...when you get to verse 12, of course we no longer have servants like that culture did.....application however, remains the same.  How do we treat people in the workplace or within our circle of influence.   Everyone has dignity and worth.

Chapter 16 deals with the three festivals that the Lord calls the people into His Presence.   Note that chapter 16:5 says, "You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the Lord your God gives you  except in the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name."   The people aren't traveling as a nomadic tribe any longer, they are going to the Promised Land.  They are encouraged to give as God gave to them.  We are to continue that today, even if we as Gentiles don't gather at three religious festivals......this is how people came into God's presence...we have the Holy Spirit and can be with God anytime!  Again, thank God for Jesus, huh!

Deuteronomy 11-13

Chapter 11-  Love and obey the Lord.....Moses continues to repeat this because it is so vitally important....God says, "Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads."

Phylactery

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Look up phylacteries or phylactery in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Phylactery may refer to:

• The Jewish tefillin, or strip of parchment inscribed with passages from Exodus 13 and Deuteronomy 6, enclosed in a black calf-skin case and fastened by thongs to the forehead or left hand or arm as commanded in Deuteronomy 6, verse 8. Used as early as the 3rd century B.C.

Rabbis ended up taking this verse literally in later times as you can see from the images above.

Chapter 12 deals with the Laws for proper worship in the new land.....they are getting prepared to have a stable place, and the laws change slightly to apply....this is what happens today when God deals with us in different times and cultures....the basic truths stay the same always.....there will always be blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience....we have those choices....we have those consequences.

Chapter 13 addresses worshipping other gods...the Isrealites were going into Canaan, where false gods and prophets were prevelant.  God feels very strongly about this and tells the people to put false prophets to death....this is for a deterrent so that Isreal will hear and be afraid and so that no one among them will do such an evil thing again. God does tell them not to act impetuously, but to inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly, and you will see that later in Deuteronomy this will bode well for some Isrealite tribes.

Deuteronomy 8-10

Moses tells the Isrealites in Chapter 8 not to forget the Lord.....some of us find it easy to remember Lord when we need help, but when things are going well we begin to feel self sufficient....Moses tells the Isrealites that God let them wander in the desert for 40 years to humble them and to test them to see  what was in their heart and whether or not they would keep God's commands.   God gave the people manna to teach them that God does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.    Jesus quotes this very verse in Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4 when the devil is tempting him in the desert....it is so cool how the Bible works together.

Chapter 9 talks about how Isreal did not get the Promised Land because of its righteousness...in fact this is repeated, so God wants to make sure that we get the message. It was on account of the wickedness of the nations occupying the land that the Lord was going to drive them out.  Moses reminds the Isrealites of how easily they went to the Golden Calf after promising to obey the Lord's commands, and of the stone tablets in the ark of the covenant.

Moses closes this chapter by telling the people to fear the Lord....if we obey him, we do this out of love for Him and what He has done for us....and Moses points out to the Isrealites that God does what He says he is going to do....this generation's forefathers were only 70, and now God has made them as numerous as the stars in the sky....remember what God promised to Abraham??????  Shouldn't we do what we say we are going to do....yikes...

Hope you like the post of the Chris Tomlinson video.....I just keep reading the words "with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.....his love endures forever".....

Chris Tomlin - Forever

Deuteronomy 5-7

I love the comments from Patricia's blog that I like to check out.....I'm posting her comments today because I feel like she was really insightful on these chapters.  When I told her I did this she cracked up because she said she has a heavy New Jersey accent.....just imagine it as you read her notes.....I also love how Moses refers 3 times to "the mighty hand and outstretched arm" of God......it reminds me of the song that uses that phrase and goes, "His love endures forever....His love endures forever"...."Sing Praise....sing Praise...."it is a Praise and worship song, so you traditional service people might not know the reference and that's fine.....

Posted March 13, 2010 by Patricia in Deuteronomy. 4 Comments

What is this??    
After reading Chapters 5, 6 and 7 I am like what else could possible be in Deuteronomy?  That right there said it all!  Read them sloooooowww.  Pick up on special words like so that, and,  then…I am not going to rephrase any of these Chapters, they are very clear to understand and very beautiful.
Chapter 5 The 10 Commandments.  They are the same (always have been always will be) but the circumstances of why may change.  The first time they were stated it was at the beginning of the declaration of the law.  This time it was after the 40 years of wandering.  They are repeated all throughout the Bible is various chapters.  We today follow them because Jesus stated them in the New Testament.  So this time Moses used the Exodus in his Sabbath Law.  He changed it from a Sabbath to remember God’s creation to a Sabbath to remember you were once in slavery. (Horeb is Mt Sinai)
Again I could not help to spot the “Be Careful” statements.
Chapter 6 verse 4-9 is often called the Shema, coming from the Hebrew word for Hear.  It means Listen to Me! or Pay Attention! or Now Hear this!  Moses wants the people to know that what he is about to say is super important!  Click here for the verse. Verse 5 is clearly important to Israel as well as to  us today.

Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment.

Moses says several times not to forget the Lord, especially in times of good.  (If you didn’t put your mirror away from last week, we can use it again)  It amazes me as a person how we cling to the Lord in trial yet in times of prosperity we get so far from Him.
Moses also says don’t test the Lord.  Many of you may have thought about  the time Jesus said that to Satan: Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test. (Mt 4:7) This was the scripture he was referencing.  WE ARE READING THE SAME WORDS JESUS REFERENCES!
Chapter 7  Ever wonder why the Israelites?  Why did God choose them? Why did God choose us? Why does He choose to save Christians?  The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.
All throughout Scripture other gods are referred to by names. Baal is the most common.  It actually means “husband” in Hebrew.  That is how close the Canaanites were to their false gods…they were like married to them. (It does not mean we should worship our husbands…phew!  Can I get an Amen from the twisted sista congragation))  Anyway, 7:5 Moses instructed them to cut down their Asherah poles.  She was the Baal’s female companion in the god world.  She was a god of fertility, love and war. (King Solomon will worship her in 1 Kings).  This Asherah is a relic that was found in  Judah.  (Side note, I just remembered Kohls has a sale on bras this week)

Deuteronomy 3-4

Moses continues his sermon about the good things the Lord has done for his people.  God delivered the two Amorite kings into the hands of the Isrealites....I thought it was interesting that King Og's coffin is described in 3:11...it was more than 13 feet long and 6 feet wide.....no obstacle is too big for the Lord......even a big ole king!

Moses is again forbidden to cross the Jordan and the language reminds me of that of a father talking to a child...."Enough!   No more discussion on this!!!"  Moses gets to view the Promised Land, but because of the Lord's judgment on his sin, he is not going to enter it.

Obedience is commanded of the Isrealites....they are not to add or subtract anything from the laws that God has given them.....Matthew will tell us that the Pharisees did exactly that....they added to the law and made it a huge burden for the people....don't worry....Jesus will take care of it....

Idolatry is reiterated....I love the part in 4:15 where Moses tells the Isrealites..."You saw no form of any kind the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire"...therefore the people can't make any form to worship.....verse 24 tells us that the lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God"....this is quoted again in Hebrews 12:29......Jealousy is a demand for someon else's exclusive affection or loyalty....some jealousy is bad...but this is appropriate and good......God makes a strong demand on us....we must treat only the Lord-and nothing or no one else in all the universe-as God.

The cities of refugee are assigned and show us that the Commandments of the Lord sometimes need interpretation.  For example, the NSRV study notes  tells us that the the commandment "Do not murder 5:17" doesn't apply to non-intentional killing-accidental killing is not the same as killing with intent  ....Shoot, I surely am glad that the Lord is the judge and I am not........

Deuteronomy 1-2

Moses' first address is all about what God has done for us...he delivers them from Egypt of course, but Moses doesn't begin there.  He begins at the base of Mt. Sinai (he likes to call it Horeb)....he talks about the appointment of leaders since the multitude of Isrealites was too numerous for him.....he talks about the spies that were sent out and how the bad report resulted in 40 years of wandering...one for each day the spies checked out the land.  Moses talked of rebellion against the Lord and how the Isrealites tried to fight without God and were defeated.  Moses is speaking to all the Isrealites (wonder how they all heard him...was his word passed throughout the ranks...why do I wonder about these things???) and they were East of the Jordan river in Moab.

Chapter 2 reiterates the wanderings in the desert...they had to go around Seir which was the land of Esau......he says:

The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands.  He has watched over your journey through this vast desert.  These forty years the Lord your God has been with you and you have  not lacked anything.....a bit of different persepective, huh?

Moses talkes about the defeat of Sihon King of Hashbon...the Lord said to Moses, "See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his coutnry over to you..."

In Deuteronomy, Moses is delivering an "inspirational" speech indicating how the Isrealites were to live in the Promised Land....they needed to recognize all the good that God had done for them....

Deuteronomy overview

I just love the name Deuteronomy......I think of the musical, "Cats" and that is what one of the main characters name was.....However:

This word in the Greek actually means "Second Law".     Moses is showing the Isrealites all the good things that God has done for them.    This is an excellent practice for our human nature that gets caught up in the day to day.

The is the last book that Moses writes-and scholars feel that the end of the book is written by Joshua, due to Moses' death.

Biblical Terms:

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy are sometimes referred to as:

• the "Five Books of Moses," because the writings themselves identify the author as Moses, or
• the "Pentateuch," a Greek term meaning "pente (5) teuchos (volumes)," or
• the "Books of the Law", or
• the "Torah" (a Hebrew word meaning "instruction")

These books were originally written as a single unbroken scroll. Sometime before the 2nd Century BCE, it was divided into the 5 books that we see today.

Numbers 35-36

Can you believe we are finishing Numbers today?

We find out about Cities of Refuge.....priest judges the "crime", not the victim and his accuser........and Zelophehad's daughter's get their inheritance and they can keep it if they marry within the tribe....Land will not go between tribes.

I think Numbers is summed up beautifully by Paul who tells us that events described in Numbers are examples that warn us and help us avoid the Isrealites' mistakes (1 Corinthians 10: 1-12)...yep, the Bible is written for us that live today....we should stay away from complaining and compromise...do you have any of that in your life?

Numbers 33-34

....and the Lord tells Moses to record the stages of the wanderings in the Wilderness.....this means that the Lord wants it recorded so WE can learn from it...do you recognize any of the places?   If you have the time, go back and check some of them out and see what happened there.  See ifyou can answer the following:

Who died in Kadesh?
King Og attacked in Bashan.....what was he King of?
While the Isrealites were in the Desert of Paran, spies were sent out to check out the Promised Land.  What occured while the Isrealites were in the Desert of Paran that caused God to make the Isrealites to wander for 40 years?
King Balak was King of what land?
Where did the tribes of Rueben and Gad settle?


The Lord sets out the boundries for the Promised Land....this is the subject of much debate in the Middle East right now.   Do you think Ishmeal had anything to do with this?????  Remember who he was?

The Lord tells the Isrealites to get rid of every bit of idol worship and to drive the inhabitants out that practice it, or there will be trouble for the Isrealites.  You have to deal with sin...you can't compromise or it can sneak up on you.  Do you think we have idols we are dealing with today?   Do they sneak up on you or "knock you upside the head"?

Numbers 31-32

The Lord  tells Moses to seek Vengeance on the Midianites...this is because they were key in drawing the Isrealites into Baal worship.....pretty interesting considering that Moses was married to a Midianite and you remember that father-in-law Jethro that taught Moses to delegate?  Balaam the Sorcerer is killed....The Isrealite army brings women and children back to Moses and Moses has the non-virgins executed.  The portion of spoils from the battle are offered to God.

Then we have "transjordan tribes"  the Reubenites and Gadites and half tribe of Manasseh want to settle on this side of the Jordan rather than settling in the Promised Land.   Moses assumes they are being rebels like the parents that didn't trust God (do you blame him for jumping to conclusions after that first generation?), but they agree to help drive enemies from the Promised Land.  Moses understands the motivation and grants the land.  Pretty cool to "get" this map, huh?





So, the Reubenites, Gadites and Manasseh half tribe stayed to the "right" of the Jordan when the Promised Land was to the "left" of the Jordan........

Numbers 28-30

OK...before you think, "Dang,  we read this already...here it is AGAIN", remember that this is a new generation of people.   Joshua is getting ready to take over.   The parents learned this offering and worship lesson at the base of Mt. Sinai where they were camped and the Lord taught them through Moses.  This generation is about dead, just as the Lord said would have to happen before there could be entrance into the Holy Land.

Feast of Tabernacles



Sukkot – The Feast of Tabernacles

The seventh and final biblical feast given by the Lord is known as Sukkot, or "The Feast of Tabernacles/ Booths" (hkko - sook-kaw).  It is the most joyful and festive of all Israel's feasts. It is also the most prominent feast, mentioned more often in Scripture than any of the other feasts. This feast also served as the historical backdrop for the most important teaching of the Messiah in John, chapters 7-9.

The Meaning of Sukkot. Most often it is referred to as Sukkot, or Tabernacles/ Booths. The English word "tabernacle" is from the Latin tabernaculum meaning "booth," "tent," or "hut." It acquired this name from the biblical requirement for all Israelites to dwell in tabernacles or temporary shelters during the holiday. It was to be an annual reminder of God's provision during the forty-year wilderness sojourn when Israel lived in similar shelters. Another name, "the Feast of Ingathering," points to the celebration of praise given to God for the final harvest of the season (Ex 23:16; 34:22). This feast is celebrated with great joy. The joy was twofold, for it commemorated God's past goodness and provision during their wilderness sojourn. It also commemorated God's present goodness and provision with the completion of the harvest season.

Moses communicates the seriousness of vows....remember that there was no contract in that day.....A person's word was as binding as his signature.  Under Isrealite law, parents could overrule their children's vows....hopefully, this helps with maturity and guidance.  A husband can confirm or nullify his wife's vow if he choses...silence implies approval.   Remember that this is a patriarchial society.....

Numbers 26-27

...and now it is time for the second census.   Everyone of the first generation to wander in the desert that was associated with not trusting God due to the bad report of the spies, had died.   Caleb and Joshua were the only ones left, and they were going to be able to enter the Promised Land because they trusted God.

The land was to be divided by lot and by size of tribe.   Drawing lots was used in the Bible to make things "fair"....everyone had an equal chance to get the "choice" things.   It was kind of like drawing straws and whoever got the longest one got what was up for grabs.  Sadly, the soldiers drew lots for Jesus' garments at the crucifiction.  Again, the Levites got no land because they were supported by tithes.   Now you'll see after I'm sure you read the geneology slowly and in great detail (LOL) that Zelophehad had only daughters and no sons.  The daughters didn't want Zelophehad's name to disappear from his clan just  because he had no son.  Moses went to the Lord on this, and the Lord granted the land to the daughters because it was right.   They could keep the land as long as they married within their tribe to preserve their father's name.

The Lord tells Moses that it is getting close for his time to die.....Moses wants to make sure the people have a shepherd to guide them.....would you have been able to do that after all the dissention that he faced???? You'd think he'd be tired and just lie down and die!  But no, he is a more Christian man that apparently I am......LOL   The Lord commissions Joshua and you have an excellent leadership model taking place with a nice smooth transition.

Numbers 23-25

Baalam the sorcerer is used by God.  This shows that what is intended for bad/harm, God can use for good....Balaam gives 4 oracles...an oracle is "divine communication or revelation".  Baalam ends up blessing the Isrealites instead of cursing them, much to Balak's ( King of  Moab) chagrin.  Oracle 4 is the BIG ONE...God used a sorcerer to prophesy about the Messiah....."a star will come out of Jacob" is what scholars think is the star that the Magi followed.   Isn't that so cool that God would reveal His plan like that.

Moab then seduces Isreal.   God warned the Isrealites to set themselves apart (be holy)...and it really matters who you hang around.    Sin can insert itself so easily.  The Moabites used a lot of prostitution to worship their Gods.  Baal was a very popular god in Canaan.  It was in a bull form.



Baal's name was often used as a generic title for all the local gods.  He was a god of strength and fertility, and rains and harvest.

Then Zimri brings a Moabite women Cozbi to his tent and sleeps with her and the Lord is furious.....those who "worship" Baal of Peor will  be killed.  Phineas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron stabs both of them and the Lord rewards his zeal by saying that Phineas' line will produce the High Priests.  Phineas made a sacrifice.....covered sin in blood.  This stopped the plague that the Lord started, which killed 24,000 people.

Moab Utah?    Nope, move to the Middle East.....

Numbers 21-22

Now, Isreal seeks the Lord to defend themselves (they are being so good this time!) as they head toward Atharim.  The Lord allows them to defeat the Canaanites that had attacked them.

Then the Isrealites turn around and speak against God and Moses again because they were impatient (never mind that their wanderings were a result of their own sin; it was much easier to blame someone else for being uncomfortable.  We never do that, do we?) and the Lord sent venemous snakes.  The Lord told Moses to make a snake and put it on a pole and anyone who was bitten could look upon it and not die.  This was NOT idolatry, because the Lord directed this...this was a foreshadowing of Jesus being lifted up after he died on the cross....both events saved people from their sin....read John 3: 14-15.

The Isrealites continue on their travels and Sihon King of the Amorites and Og King of Bashan are defeated by the Isrealites.

Chapter 22 is dear to me, because I was in my forties and sitting with some great Baptist friends who were talking about a talking donkey in the Bible.  I could not believe it....This little Lutheran girl didn't learn about that in Sunday School.  This is why I believe everyone should read the Bible!  How do you know what the Truth is otherwise?  This little donkey saved Balaam the sorcerer's life.  The King of Moab wanted a curse on the Isrealites and Balaam was willing to travel far for money.  The Lord sent and angel to block Balaam's path, but the donkey could see it.  I LOVE how the Lord finally opened Balaam's eyes and he could see the angel of the Lord.  Remember when God opened Hagar's eyes and she saw a well that had been sitting there the whole time? This just shows me that there are things all around that the Lord has not let us see yet.  It is all part of the plan and we are in the process of having our Spiritual Eyes opened.  Thoughts?





These stained glass windows depict Moses lifting up the brass/bronze snake curing the Isrealites of snakebites.  Hezekiah (an Hebrew King we'll read about later) called the snake Nehushtan.



In 1508 Michelangelo Buonarroti, commissioned by Pope Julius II, painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel an image of the plague of serpents sent upon the Isrealites and their deliverance by the creation of the bronze serpent.

Numbers 18-20

In chapter 18, we learn that even the priests should tithe, and in chapter 19, we learn about the Water of Cleansing and the red heifer's ashes.  Death was the strongest of defilements because it was the final result of sin in the Old Testament....death made you unclean if you were in the presence of it.  Therefore, the cleansing ritual was very important.

The Isrealites wander for 37 years and the Bible doesn't tell us much about  it....we are getting into a new generation...Miriam and Aaron (the High Preist role goes to Aaron's son Eleazar)   die in Kadesh.  Something critical happens...a turning point for Moses.  The people are complaining because there was no water in the community. The Lord tells Moses to speak to a rock and it will pour out water....Moses says, "Listen you rebels, must WE bring you water out of this rock?" and then he struck the rock twice with his staff.  Because of this, Moses will not be able to lead the people to the promised land.....

1)  God did the miracle...Moses said "WE"
2)  God told Moses to speak to the rock, but he struck the rock twice....by doing this he disobeyed a direct command of God.
3)  Moses was a leader and a role model that the Lord selected, because of this, the Lord could not let him off lightly.

The Edomites deny Isreal passage in their wanderings........remember who the Edomites descended from?   Esau...he was born red, remember......who did the Isrealites descend from? Jacob...Two brothers became the ancestors of two nations......remember this...the Lord will deal with the Edomites later......

Numbers 16-17

So now Korah and his associates have some ambition and they want their perceived "piece of the pie".  They felt that Moses had set himself above everyone and they wanted some power and prestige.....they truly didn't understand Moses' ambition was to serve the Lord...it was not for power and prestige...Moses gets angry and the Lord takes up for Moses...he tells Moses and Aaron to separate themselves from the assembly and He'll take care of the rest.   Moses and Aaron fall facedown and intercede (would you be able to do that???)    Finally, the Lord lets the earth open up and swallow Korah, Dathan and Abiram (not all Korah's descendents are destroyed as you will find out later), and fire swallows up the 250 men that offered insence to the Lord (they weren't to approach God).....and a plague started until Aaron could make atonement for sins.

Then Aaron's staff buds....the Lord wants to be done with the grumbling and will show who he has chosen to be High Priest.    Twelve staffs from all the tribal leaders are put together and the Lord has Aaron's staff bud and sprout and produced almonds....this is a sign to the rebellious........only the High Priest can approach God.

Numbers 14, 15, Psalm 90

The people rebeled (what would you do in this situation?  Would you go with the majority or stand alone with the truth???).....they looked back to Egypt and think about a new leader to take them back to Egypt.  Joshua asks them not to rebel against the Lord and to not be afraid; the Isrealites contemplate stoning the leaders.  Believe it or not, Moses intercedes AGAIN and asks for forgiveness for the people.
Our merciful God relents again and doesn't kill them, but points out that the people disobeyed and tested Him 10 times:

1)  lacking trust at the crossing of the Red Sea
2)  complaining over the bitter water at Marah
3)  complaining in the Desert of Sin
4)  collecting more than the daily quota of manna
5) collecting Manna on the Sabbath
6)  compllaining over lack of water at Rephidim
7) engaging in idolatry with a golden calf
8)  complaining at Taberah
9) more complaining over the lack of delicious food
10)  failing to trust God and enter the Promised Land

Therefore, no one would enter the Promised Land but Caleb and Joshua....The people would wander in the desert for a year for each day that the spies explored the land...the spies that spread the bad report were struck with a plague.  The people wanted to go to the Promised Land anyway and were beaten back because the Lord was not with them.

Additional regulations were given in Chapter 15.  God shows that disobedience will not be tolerated and a Sabbath Breaker is put to death by stoning.  The penalty is severe for intentional sin.  The Lord commanded tassels on garment to remind the people  about the commandments.

Tassels of Obedience






Psalm 90 is the only Psalm written by Moses.  This makes it the oldest of the Psalms...Moses recognizes that our days are numbered, but the Lord is not constrained by time. There is no secret sin and God knows everything, so we should use our time wisely to serve the Lord.